Somerset Dam is a rural town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Somerset Region The Somerset Region is a local government area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of the City of Brisbane. The region is centred on the town of Esk, which also serves as the council seat. Somer ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. When first being planned, it was unofficially known as the Stanley River township. In the , the locality of Somerset Dam had a population of 78 people.

Geography

The town lies on the slopes of Mount Brisbane () on the western bank of the Stanley River immediately below and south-west of the wall of the

Somerset Dam The Somerset Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with a gated spillway across the Stanley River in Queensland, Australia. It is within the locality of Somerset Dam in the Somerset Region in South East Queensland. The main purpose of the dam i ...

() which impounds the river creating

Lake Somerset The Somerset Dam is a mass concrete gravity dam with a gated spillway across the Stanley River in Queensland, Australia. It is within the locality of Somerset Dam in the Somerset Region in South East Queensland. The main purpose of the dam is ...

(). The

Deer Reserve National Park Deer Reserve National Park is a nature reserve in the Somerset Region of Queensland, in the South East Queensland bioregion. The name "Deer Reserve" refers to a gift of red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer spe ...

() is in the north-west of the locality. The national park is and extends into the neighbouring localities of Hazeldean to the north, Cooeeimbardi to the north-west and

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

further to the north-west.

History

Queensland State Archives 4577 Stanley River Township from Quarry Hill 18 August 1937

The town was constructed in 1935 to provide accommodation for those working on the construction of the dam and their families with the first businesses opening in 1936. The town was designed by civil engineer Charles Bank Mott like a suburban with gravel streets, electricity, street lights, reticulated water, stormwater drainage, and sewerage. Mott was seconded for three years from the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC, also known as Council) is the local government of the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. The largest local government in Australia by population, BCC's jurisdiction includes 2 ...

. When the project commenced, the town was informally known as the ''Stanley River township''. The

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...

decided to call the town ''Somerset'' after local pastoralist

Henry Plantagenet Somerset Henry Plantagenet Somerset (19 May 1852 – 11 April 1936) was a pioneer pastoralist and politician in Queensland, Australia. Somerset was a liberal politician who represented the Electoral district of Stanley (Queensland), district of Stanley ...

, the

Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly This is a list of members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the state parliament of Queensland, sorted by parliament. See also * Queensland Legislative Assembly electoral districts This is a list of current and former Electoral dis ...

for

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

from 1904 to 1920. However, the postal authorities objected, fearing confusion with

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns, Queensland, Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stret ...

and

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. In January 1936 it was officially named ''Somerset Dam'' after

the dam ''The Dam'' (in French:''Le barrage'') is a painting by Luxembourg artist Dominique Lang from 1913. Description The picture is part of the collection of the National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg. Analysis Dominique Lang was the onl ...

, which was named after Henry Plantagenet Somerset. As there was already a Somerset State School near

Kilcoy Kilcoy is a rural town and locality in the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Kilcoy had a population of 1,996 people. Geography The township is on the D'Aguilar Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisban ...

(which had opened in 1915), the education authorities had decided to call the town's school ''Silverton''. Silverton Provisional School opened in February 1936 at the end of First Avenue (). In 1958, it became Silverton State School. Circa 1959, it was renamed Somerset State School (the school of that name near Kilcoy having closed in 1943). On 24 January 1966, it renamed Somerset Dam State School. It closed on 31 December 2000. A community hall was officially opened on Wednesday 22 July 1936. It was constructed by the Stanley River Works Board (who were responsible for the construction of the dam) and could seat 200 people. It could be used as a dance hall and had projection facilities to be used as a cinema. Initially opened as Somerset Hall, by 1938 it had become known as Coronation Hall (presumably in honour of the Coronation of King George VI in 1937). Queensland State Archives 4558 Church of England and school ground First Avenue Stanley River Township c 1936

Queensland State Archives 4558 Church of England and school ground First Avenue Stanley River Township c 1936

The dam was being built as part of a program of providing employment during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

construction of the dam was halted to enable the workers to be redeployed on war-related work, such as the

Cairncross Dockyard The Cairncross Dockyard was a shipyard beside the Brisbane River at 405 Thynne Road, Morningside, Queensland, Morningside, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It included one of Australia's largest graving docks with an 8.5 metre deep wa ...

with work resuming in 1948. About 450 people were employed constructing the dam during which time the population of the town exceeded 1000 people. St Mark's Anglican Church at First Avenue () was dedicated on 30 August 1936 by

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

William Wand John William Charles Wand, (25 January 1885 – 16 August 1977) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane in Australia before returning to England to become the Bishop of Bath and Wells and, later, Bishop of London. ...

. The church building was the former St Mark's Anglican Church of Fernvale which, having closed in 1934, was purchased by the

for £50, relocated to Somerset Dam, renovated and re-roofed. The church closed circa 1995. As at 2020, the church building still exists but has been converted to holiday accommodation. On the same day and at the same time as the Anglican church was dedicated, so too was St Joseph's Catholic Church at 5 King Street (). It was blessed and dedicated by

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest- ...

Demographics

In the , the locality of Somerset Dam had a population of 69 people. In the , the locality of Somerset Dam had a population of 78 people.

Education

There are no schools in Somerset Dam. The nearest government primary schools are Toogoolawah State School in Toogoolawah to the west and Kilcoy State School in

to the north. The nearest government secondary schools are Toogoolawah State High School, also in Toogooolawah, and Kilcoy State High School, also in Kilcoy.

Amenities

St Joseph's Catholic Church is at 5 King Street (). It is part of the Parish of St Mel's at Esk. Coronation Hall is at 2 Short Street. It is operated by the Somerset Regional Council and continues to be used for local events and as a wedding venue.

References

External links

*
Photograph Albums of Construction of Somerset Dam 1937

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

{{authority control Towns in Queensland Suburbs of Somerset Region Localities in Queensland